Translation from English

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Birthday- Plus Hebrew Poem

Happy birthday to me

I am 71 today

Just finished doing my second round of vertigo therapy exercises for the day

I am older but not wiser I fear

Best wishes to all of you

Here is poem

Note: I am not Jewish-- raised Methodist-- signed pledge when I was confirmed that I would not drink, smoke or gamble-- none of which I do now or have done for many  years. And I still try to follow what I think are the best Christian principles. Simple things such as love thy neighbor as thyself and keep the ideas of Christian charity, love and forgiveness in my heart.


Poems Found In Translation: “Yehuda Amichai: "The lips of dead men..." (From Hebrew)”

Link to Poems Found in Translation

Posted: 25 Nov 2016 04:19 AM PST
"The lips of dead men..."
By Yehuda Amichai
Translated by A.Z. Foreman

The lips of dead men whispered thoughtlessly
A single word of silence in the earth.
Already every flower, every tree
Has wildly overdone its springtime birth.

Bandages are torn off, again undressed
The earth does not want healing. It wants pain.
Spring is not peace at all. Spring is not rest
At all. Spring is enemy terrain. 

We went with other lovers on patrol
To see if we could reach our goal.
We were sent to the End of Rainbow Land, 

Though we already knew: the dead return;
Though we already knew: the storm is borne
Out of a young girl's open hand.

The Original:

שפתי מתים
יהודה עמיחי

שִׂפְתֵי מֵתִים אָמְרוּ מִלָּה בְּלַחַשׁ
בָּאֲדָמָה, שִׂיחָה לְפִי תֻּמָּם,
וּכְבָר הָאִילָנוֹת, בְּלִי כָּל יַחַס,
הִגְזִימוּ נוֹרָאָה בִּפְרִיחָתָם.

הַתַּחְבּוֹשׁוֹת שׁוּב נִקְרָעוֹת בְּכֹחַ,
הָאֳדָמָה אֵינָהּ רוֹצָה מַרְפֵּא, רוֹצָה כְּאֵב.
וְהָאָבִיב אֵינֶנּוּ שֶׁקֶט, לֹא מָנוֹחַ,
וְהָאָבִיב הוּא אֶרֶץ הָאוֹיֵב.

נִשְׁלַחְנוּ עִם זוּגוֹת הָאוֹהֲבִים, 
פַּטְרוֹל אֶל אֶרֶץ-עֵבֶר-קֶשֶׁת,
לִרְאוֹת הַאִם אֶפְשָׁר לָגֶשֶׁת.

וּכְבָר יָדַעְנוּ, הַמֵּתִים שָׁבִים,
וּכְבָר יָדַעְנוּ, גַּם הַסְּעָרָה
יוֹצֵאת עַכְשָׁו מֵחֹפֶן נַעֲרָה. 

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